Microsoft Halted Its Support Against Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft finally officially discontinued its support for Windows Phone 8.1, after more than three years the company introduced its latest update. With the end of this support, it means marking the end of Windows Phone era, and there are still millions of devices running this operating system. AdDuplex estimates that nearly 80 percent of all phones with Windows operating systems still run Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8, or Windows Phone 8.1. All these handsets are now officially no longer supported, and only 20 percent of all Windows phones run the latest Windows Mobile 10 OS.

With the end of Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft has buryed the Windows Phone brand where the operating system began running in 2010 with 3 generations. Though Microsoft initially received praise for its new approach to mobile OS. The lack of an attractive device at a price that is less competitive, important features and popular third-party apps cause the operating system to get less response from the market.
Windows Phone 8.1 is a major update for Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system, with includes a digital assistant named Cortana, a new design for notifications, UI changes, and updates to the mobile OS core. This update marks one of Microsoft’s biggest efforts with its Windows Phone, but it does not succeed in competing with Android and iOS. More than 95% of all new smartphones now run Android or iOS, and Microsoft has given up producing Lumia branded hardware.

Meanwhile, Microsoft still supports Windows 10 Mobile, it is unclear what support will be included whether it will be long or not. Microsoft has advised users to switch from Windows Phone to Windows 10 Mobile. Where this operating system is basically an extension of the desktop platform that allows users to use their files and applications for both desktop and mobile devices. But this is not a real competitor of Android or iOS. Microsoft has been working on a lot of cloud-based and cross-platform apps and services lately, so Windows 10 Mobile does not seem to be much prioritized anymore.

Microsoft avoided attempting to officially shut down the OS, but it has proven recently over the past year that the company is no longer focusing its efforts on their smartphone operating system. Microsoft has shut down its phone business last year, resulting in thousands of layoffs. During Microsoft’s recent Build and Inspire conference, CEO Satya Nadella gave the statement “mobile-first, cloud-first”. Microsoft’s focus now is to work on multi-device scenarios and cloud technologies that do not always involve Windows. Microsoft’s new mobile strategy now seems to involve making iOS and Android devices better.